Oladipo's Surgeon Says NBA Return in November is Likely
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Orthopedic surgeon Jonathan Glashow told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Saturday that former Indiana star Victor Oladipo could be back playing by November, and deemed his quadriceps surgery on May 13 – his second in 28 months – a success.
Oladipo, who played at Indiana from 2011 to 2013, originally torn his quad muscle in January of 2019 when he was having an All-Star year with the Indiana Pacers. He injured it again in May while playing for the Miami Heat.
"I repaired the quad tendon and did it a little differently than [he had] it done before," Glashow told ESPN. "The quad wasn't really hooked up. It was torn, and I reattached it. I was amazed he was playing with what he had. I'm very optimistic that I could clear him in six months, by November. I think he's going to play really well again.
"[The surgery] went extremely well, and it's healing beautifully. I'm confident he'll play next year."
The 29-year-old Oladipo will be a free agent this summer. He turned down a long-term contract offer from the Pacers and was traded to the Houston Rockets this winter. The Rockets then traded him to Miami before the trade deadline.
Wojnarowski reported that Oladipo will rehab the injury with Glashow and the team doctors from the Heat. He missed more than a year the first time. but Glashow said he is confident he will be ready to play much earlier this time.
Oladipo only played four games for the Heat before re-injuring the quad on March 25. During his nine-year NBA career, Oladipo has played for five teams, the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and now the Pacers, Rockets and Heat this year.
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